The eyes are affected by the UV rays of the sun in a similar way to the skin, and even short term exposure can cause problems with your vision and increase the chance of developing serious issues such as cataracts, macular degeneration and eyelid cancer. The effects were revealed in 2017 after a woman looked directly at the sun during the eclipse for just six seconds and permanently damaged her retinas.
The images of the damaged photoreceptors and a lesion caused by this brief look at the sun show just how powerful the sun is and the extreme damage that can be done to your eyes by UV rays.
Lisa James Store Director of Specsavers Opticas in Torrevieja and Guardamar commented, “Most people don’t think of sunglasses as a way to protect the eyes. We hope that seeing the damage caused by looking at the sun for six seconds did to someone’s eyes, people will make better choices and realise that they need to be as vigilant when choosing their sunglasses and deciding when to use them, as they are with applying sun cream and ensuring that skin is protected.”
In a recent study of 10,000 people by The Vision Council it was revealed that less than half of people surveyed wear sunglasses when they should and that most people are more interested in comfort and fashion than protection for their eyes. This is a concern to experts, especially in countries such as Spain, where the sun is very strong throughout the year and children and adults spend more time outside.
Lisa James from Specsavers explained; “You need to make sure that eyes and skin are protected from all 3 types of UV radiation (UVA,UVB and UVC) throughout the year and take particular care when you’re in wide open spaces and on the beach or on the ski slopes where UV rays are reflected from the sand, sea and snow.
By choosing sunglasses with 100% UV protection, large or wraparound styles and combining with a hat you will get maximum protection from UV related eye problems.”
Specsavers Opticas have just launched their new sun range for spring/summer 2018. This includes 8 new clip-on sunglasses with polarised lenses to offer 100% UV protection. View the full range on their website www.specsavers.es
